Starswirl's Wish
by WinWri
Summary: In the shadow of the Nightmare Moon catastrophe, Celestia felt that nothing else could possibly go wrong. However, when Starswirl the Bearded went missing, she chose to deny it, shunning his disappearance for decades. Now, almost a millennium later, she has the resources to find out what happened to him by sending the mane six to the world he called 'Terra.'
1. P1 - Sunset's Project

Twilight Sparkle was known for several things. Of those, 'being a nervous wreck under stressful circumstances' was high on that list.

An array of objects flew around the castle, grasped in her magic as she tried to get many things in order. Watching the chaos ensue, as if it was nothing new, was most of her friends. Within the center of the room they occupied, the portal to Canterlot High was powered up.

"Now, Twilight, do you mind explaining what it is that is going on so that we may help?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah!" Pinkie agreed, jumping in front of the panicked alicorn. Twilight grunted and teleported past her. "Are you going to visit the other 'usses' of the mirror world and need us to protect all of Equestria while you're gone?"

Twilight didn't even acknowledge the question as she continued around the room. Before long, Rainbow Dash and Applejack entered the castle to join the other four. "Sorry we were late. I was taking a really good nap," Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her neck as she landed.

"Ah basically had to shoot her house down to wake her up," Applejack muttered. It wasn't long before she noticed what was happening before her. "So what's wrong this time?"

Rarity stared idly at Twilight as the alicorn read some measurements. "We haven't been able to get it out of her yet."

Applejack sighed at the panic Twilight was in. She walked over to her and rested a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Twi, remember what Cadence taught you?"

Twilight turned to Applejack and stared at her. After a moment, she smiled and sighed. Going through the motions that her sister in-law taught her, Twilight cleared her mind and calmed down.

"All better?" Applejack asked. Twilight nodded and smiled shyly at her friend. "Now, care to tell us what's wrong?"

Twilight turned to the mirror and sharply inhaled. "I suppose nothing is really wrong. I was just trying to make sure everything went well."

Rainbow rolled her hoof in the air. "Went well for…?"

As Twilight opened her mouth, the portal glowed brightly, releasing the image of a light orange unicorn with a flowing red and yellow mane and tail. "Sunset Shimmer!" Twilight squealed as she rushed to the newcomer. Sunset shifted uneasily on her hooves before quickly finding her balance.

"Twilight, it's so good to see you again," she said, giving the alicorn a hug. She turned to the other five that gave her cautious smiles. She smiled apologetically and waved to them. "And...uh...all of you girls too."

Rarity was quick to accept that Sunset's reformation was strong and true. She approached the mare and examined her closely. After a moment, she asked Sunset, "Do you like the color blue? I see a real opportunity for something here."

Sunset chuckled. "You weren't kidding when you said that our friends aren't very different between worlds."

"Yep!" Pinkie popped up, spraying confetti across the room. "We are just as close to us as you could possibly get!" Sunset giggled as the pink pony wrapped a hoof around her. The others took a moment to meet and get to know Sunset as she gathered her bearings for magic and trotting around. Before long, she was back in the swing of being a unicorn.

"It's nice to see you getting along so well with my - _our_ \- friends," Twilight said to Sunset, "But we can all talk on the train."

"On the train? I wasn't told we'd be goin' anywhere," Applejack butted in.

Sunset looked at her hooves as Twilight explained. "Sunset Shimmer, the Princesses, and I were all talking recently through the journal and decided it was a good time for Sunset to come and visit. Luna was the deciding factor as she badly wanted to meet her."

"How long you gonna be here anyway, Sunny?" Rainbow asked as she idly floated past.

Sunset looked up, rather dejected. "About two months. Princess Celestia apparently has some really big project for me to do."

Twilight wrapped a hoof around Sunset's neck as the two began to exit the castle, the others following close behind. "I know you are thinking that she'll be mad at you, but I can assure you that she isn't. She's actually very proud of how you've grown since you ran away."

Sunset smiled and sighed. "Thanks, Twilight. I needed that." She looked around at their group for a moment. "Now that I think about being here for a moment, where's Spike?"

"He's in Canterlot, helping the Princess get things ready for your big project," Twilight answered. "She never actually told me what it is, but she seemed pretty insistent on having Spike help her get it set up while I came and got you."

"Does that have anything to do why _we're_ coming along?" Fluttershy asked, walking up beside Twilight. "The whole trip is kind of last minute, and I don't want Angel Bunny to have to take care of everything while I'm gone."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin in thought. Looking towards the mountain that Canterlot rests upon, she could faintly make out the sight of a train winding its way through the various tunnels and channels to Ponyville. "I suppose we do have a little time left before our train arrives," she said, "If anypony needs to do something before we leave, now would be the time to do it."

Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy nodded and gave a quick goodbye before heading off towards their respective homes to let friends and family know what was going on. Rainbow, Sunset, and Twilight agreed to meet them at the train station and continued on.

"So what's it like in that mirror world, Sunset?" Rainbow asked from above, "I mean, Twilight's explained about the humans and some of the stuff you can do there, but what's it like to actually live there?"

Sunset laughed, "As a high-school student renting her own apartment, I can easily say that things could be easier." Rainbow looked at her confused. "I have to attend school to learn mostly useless topics while also regularly attending a low-wage job to pay for my overpriced, crappy home."

"Really!? That sounds like a load of manure. Now I feel really glad I've got an aerial contract with the Weather Team. My house isn't cheap, but at least I don't have to pay the full price for it."

"Rainbow, you basically live in a cloud mansion," Twilight said bemused, "The only reason you don't have to pay for that thing is because ninety percent of your salary goes towards that property."

"Look who's talking, Miss 'I got a crystal castle from a crystal box that a crystal tree gave me for absolutely free,'" Rainbow Dash joked.

Twilight proceed to pout, "I never wanted that castle."

Sunset patted Twilight's back as they got to the train station. "Hey it's okay. Nobody should have had to go through what you did."

Twilight flashed a small grin towards Sunset, "Thanks, but the same could be said about you." Sunset smiled back. The two shared another quick embrace as they waited for the others to arrive.

* * *

"So, you sure you don't know what this big project is? Not even why it involves us?" Rainbow asked as they stepped off the train in Canterlot.

"All Celestia told me is that this was something very important to her," Sunset responded, "She made a mistake several hundred years ago and she's finally getting around to fixing it."

"Now, what kind of mistake could take so long to patch up?" Applejack mused, "Is there some family problem she ain't told us about that happened back then?"

"I'm guessing there's some big monster bothering the towns ponies that she needs us to teach a thing or two," Rainbow Dash suggested cockily while mock-punching the air.

The group looked to each other and shrugged. Only time would tell what it was they were needed for.

Their walk through the capital city went uninterrupted. The various nobles and elites would give a generous curtsy or nod as Princess Twilight passed them. Sunset was lost in her memories as she noticed the various shops and leisure spots that she used to commonly visit.

As they approached the castle, the guards gave a modest bow as the group went in. It wasn't long before they stood outside the throne room. "You ready, Sunset?" Twilight asked. Sunset sharply inhaled and nodded. Twilight smiled and opened the doors.

"Hey, you made it!" was the response to the group's entrance. As they walked in, they noticed Spike sitting at the base of the throne, with no royalty in sight. He met them halfway, Twilight bringing him up onto her back.

"Where are the princesses?" Rarity asked.

"They're in the conference hall. Celestia said this matter was a little more serious, so they wanted some privacy," Spike told them.

"Does that mean you're not going to tell us in advance?" Rainbow asked with noticeable impatience.

Spike cast a glance to Twilight, "Ehm… I think I'll let the Princess explain." He scratched his neck and looked back to Rainbow, "It might sound a bit more… credible coming from her."

The group gave some confused and worried looks to each other, but continued into a side room next to the throne. Upon entering, they came across a heavily sleep deprived Princess Celestia examining a large quantity of papers rather closely.

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight peeped as she led the group in. The white alicorn's head rose quickly and a smile dawned on her tired visage.

"Twilight, it's so good to see you." She rose and embraced her former student. She glanced past to the other ponies, "And all of you as well."

Off to the side of the group, Sunset avoided eye contact with the demigod, something that Celestia easily noticed. She subconsciously approached the unicorn and nuzzled her, much to Sunset's surprise. "I'm especially glad to see you again, Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset ironed herself to hold back tears and returned the nuzzle. "I'm glad to be back."

Celestia returned to her full height, nearly stumbling backward in the process. She pressed a hoof to her forehead and yawned.

Rarity stepped forward, "Princess, have you been sleeping alright?"

"I can assure you, she has not," Came a boisterous voice from behind the group. They turned to see Princess Luna entering with a coffee pot grasped in her magic. She hovered the drink over to her sister, a muttered 'Thank you' being received in return. "Ever since Sunset Shimmer confirmed that she would be returning, my sister has been in a frenzy between her usual duties and entering the archives beneath the city."

"Has she slept at all?" Rainbow whispered to Luna, worriedly looking at Celestia as she returned to her papers.

"I'm afraid not," Luna shook her head, "While she has gone to her chambers to rest, I have not witnessed her dreams in almost three days."

Celestia returned to the group, her papers left behind, stacked neatly. "I will be fine, Luna. I have gone much longer without sleep."

"Regardless of such habits, dear sister, I can not guarantee your well being if you proceed much longer with this."

Celestia dismissed her warning, requesting a guard take the paperwork to her secretary. "I will sleep tonight, once I am sure that everything is going well."

"Well with what, sister?" Luna asked, shoving her face into Celestia's. "You may have told our draconic friend, but you've yet to explain to your own blood what you have been so adamant about for these past few days."

Celestia reared back and blinked in surprise. When she was sure that Luna's glare would not break, she sighed. "I suppose I have just been rather uneasy about this project."

"My project?" Sunset interjected.

Celestia gazed between her and Twilight's group, "Not… quite." Twilight and Sunset both raised their eyebrows to the response. Twilight began to speak, though Celestia beat her to it. "I'm sure that you all have some burning questions. If you'll allow me the time for us to trot to the archives to compose myself, I will explain everything I can."

Some murmurs came from the group, but nothing was said aloud as Twilight started the group towards the archives. Luna cast another glance at Celestia, who smiled assuredly in return, before quickly falling in next to Sunset Shimmer.

"Um, hello, Princess Luna," the unicorn said barely above a mutter, "I don't think we've met yet."

Luna turned to the orange mare and smiled. "Ah, of course. I almost forgot that you were the whole reason this fuss arose in the first place." Sunset winced at the gesture, something that Luna noticed. "Er, I mean no offense by that, little one. I, too, have some blame to hold in this recent occurrence, as it was my vote that bid you come back for a visit."

"About that," Sunset perked up a bit, seemingly out of eagerness, "Was there any reason you wished to do so? I had retreated into the mirror portal before the Nightmare Moon legends were even revived, so we hadn't a chance to really interact."

Luna's smile brightened, "My sister speaks many wonders of your knowledge and motivation. I can understand your prior shortcomings of impatience or misinterpretation as well, so I feel that we may get along more than the relation of I and Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"What do you mean you understand my shortcomings?"

Luna chuckled, "Well as a fellow do-gooder gone rogue on the basis of a temper tantrum and later reformed, I feel that we have one thing in common already."

Sunset followed the chuckle awkwardly. "Heh, yeah. Sorry to bring up any bad memories."

"It's quite alright, I have matured and realized that my bout was out of jealousy and corruption." She rested a hoof on the smaller mare's shoulder. "I can see that you have matured in a similar manner."

The quiet banters between several groups began to die down as they descended the cobblestone stairs into the Canterlot Archives, and eventually, Starswirl's personal wing by Celestia's request.

"You seem to be keeping your cool a lot easier this time around, sugarcube." Applejack teased as she nudged Twilight.

"I spent some time down here during my last visit. The place is amazing, but the initial excitement has died off." She looked back to Celestia, who was walking with her head down at the rear of the group. Twilight hadn't noticed earlier, but most of her regalia was currently removed. "I'm also fairly concerned with what Celestia has in store for us."

"She did somethin' wrong," Applejack stated. "You can see it in her eyes; they're swimmin' with regret."

"I hope it's something we can fix," Twilight said with one last glance back.

Before long, the group had come to Starswirl's athenaeum. Around them lie several magical artifacts that modern unicorns had all but forgotten. The air seemed to tense as Celestia walked through the group to an unassuming wall on the far side of the room.

Luna was the first to speak up, her concern finding its root around the long lost Starswirl the Bearded. "Sister, does this have to do with Starswirl?"

Celestia was late to respond, but a deep sigh signaled that she would. "I-I was a fool one thousand years ago."

"Tia…"

Celestia turned to look at the group, sadness having been drawn on her face, "I allowed Sombra his time to rule, I ignored Luna's plea for attention, but I also let my greatest friend grow distant due to one stupid mistake."

"Princess," Twilight spoke, "I'm sure nopony could have done everything perfectly in your shoes considering the events of the time."

"And I'm all too forgiving of our situation back then," Luna added, "Most of it was my own fault."

Celestia looked to the floor and sighed, as if accepting the comfort mentally. "Regardless, do you all remember the mirror that led to the good Sombra's world?" Mentioning it seemed to shatter her heart. The group, with the exception of Sunset Shimmer, all nodded and agreed. "And of course, there is the mirror that leads to Sunset Shimmer's world."

"Celestia," Luna stepped forward, a curious look on her face, "What happened to that mirror project of Starswirl's?

The white alicorn turned back to the wall. After a moment of thought, she flared up her horn. "I suppose it's time that I show you."

Within a moment's notice, the wall vanished and beyond its prior place of existence lay a vast room of mirrors, bookshelves, and foreign artifacts. There was likely over a hundred mirrors within the center of the room and the bookshelves spanned to the ceiling. The artifacts range from vaguely altered objects used by the ponies to mass piles of bolted machinery that would seem advanced to even the humans of Sunset's world.

Twilight, as was to be expected, was agape at the prospect of the room, though she was far from alone. The rest of her friends seemed to be just as stunned by the reveal, as was Luna.

"What was that old coot thinking?" Luna asked, more to herself than anyone.

"H-how many of these things are there?" Rarity stuttered out, "I'd rather not have a repeat of our run to our friend Sombra's world."

"I assure you that no such thing could happen," Celestia shook her head.

"Most of the mirrors are deactivated," Spike said, "Though some could easily be reactivated, a lot are failed experiments."

Sunset examined the surface of one of the mirrors, "The magic behind reactivating them is far from easy, Spike."

"She's not wrong," Celestia confirmed, "It took me almost a year to reopen Sombra's mirror the first time."

Moments more passed as the group got their fill of the ancient room. Though, the silence was broken by a rather unnerving comment from Rainbow Dash.

"So, are we going into one?"

The ponies apart from Celestia all froze. With reactions ranging from fear to curiosity, they all looked to the solar goddess for an answer. She responded by approaching the center of the room and pulling a cloth from atop a mirror away from the main bunch. The mirror she uncovered looked no different from the other hundred besides the fact that its surface had been recently dusted. From the shelves, she gathered several tomes and stacked them near the mirror.

"This," Celestia started, "is the mirror to what Starswirl gathered to call _Terra_."

Sunset's eyes widened, "That's simply an ancient word for Earth, the world I live on."

"Precisely." The Princess nodded. "Starswirl had visited your Earth several years before this, but found that the world was far too receptive to magic. If magic were to be introduced to your Earth in too heavy a dose and concentration, the dimensional barrier could collapse entirely. As such, he found the world unsuitable for our studies, especially since this was during their dark ages; when magic was theorized and could be used for evil and evil only."

"Then what about the Sirens?" Twilight asked. "He banished them there, but they could still use their magic."

"Their magic was weak," Sunset explained, "Human forms are very poor receptors for Equestrian magic, and it was only their necklaces that allowed it to transmit at all. Said necklaces were hyper-charged by your Equestrian magic via the passive magic of the Elements of Harmony."

"Correct. Likely, because of the Elements' use and the battle against the Sirens, Earth is only one bad magical flux away from our dimensions colliding in a similar manner to ours and Sombra's," Celestia added.

"That's beside the point!" Rainbow Dash butted in, "What does this ' _Terra_ ' have to do with Sunset's world and what do we have to do there?"

"Patience, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity yanked her down by her tail, "I know you're anxious, but we'll be off in due time, I'm sure."

Celestia placed a hoof on the stack of books, "These tomes will help you find information you need while on Terra." She avoided eye contact for a moment.

"Who exactly is going?" Sunset asked, "You said this wasn't _my_ project."

"Princess Twilight and her friends."

The six friends stopped for a moment, before it sunk in. Rainbow Dash just smirked, completely aware from the beginning, while Fluttershy seemed to shudder.

"Why are we going, though?" Twilight asked.

"I-" Celestia started, but choked up. She took a moment to steel herself, "I need you to apologize to Starswirl for me."

Twilight and Sunset froze at the statement. The others seemed just as shocked and even Pinkie stopped moving to consider this new information.

"A-are you saying," Twilight breathed out.

"They're going to meet Starswirl the Bearded?" Sunset finished.

"Don't get too excited," Celestia said, her head dropping in mourning, "He is very much dead."

"Then isn't the trip kind of pointless?" Rainbow asked, oblivious to the sorrow that just spread through the air.

"Maybe, maybe not," Celestia answered. She wavered for a moment before yawning again. "Pardon, but I am in dire need of rest. I advise you all to study up on Terra and sleep well tonight. I'll explain more about Starswirl's disposition with the mirror tomorrow, as well as where to look for Starswirl."

Without so much as another look back, she trot out of the room and back up the stairs from where the group came. Luna hesitated to follow her, but decided against it.

"I will assist you however I can with learning about this world," she said.

"Are you sure that this will really be a good idea?" Sunset asked Twilight and Luna, "These mirrors are unpredictable from what I've learned back when I was Celestia's student."

Twilight approached the pile of books. Opening the first cover, she recognized the legendary scribbles that was Starswirl's writing. "I never learned what happened to Starswirl during his final days. This _is_ Starswirl we're talking about. He may have left something for us regardless of what is current livelihood is."

Sunset gave her friend a cautious glance before sighing.

"My sister never explained Starswirl's demise to myself either," Luna said, picking up a book, "Their falling out remains a mystery lost to the tests of time."

"Well then!" Pinkie exclaimed as she popped out of the book Luna was holding, "Let's get studying! Who knows what this place has in store for us!"

The three studious mares looked to each other for a moment and nodded. If they were to fix one of Celestia's biggest mistakes, they would need all the preparation they could get.


	2. P2 - Royal Study Hall

"Your highness, it is time to raise the sun," spoke a voice from the door. Celestia slowly opened her eyes as she returned from her slumber. The Princess rose and stretched with a massive yawn, many joints popping into their proper position.

"Thank you, Raven," she nodded to her secretary as she rose. Raven smiled, entering to place some documents on Celestia's desk. "Did Luna ever come up from the archives?"

"Not that I'm aware of," the mare sighed, "We cancelled night court, which caused some problems for the citizens. Day court is still closed as well, after all." Celestia did not respond with more than a slight grunt as she head to her balcony. Raven followed closely behind.

"Is everything alright, your highness? I overheard your conversation with the Bearers of Harmony, but I'm not sure I fully understand the situation." Celestia stared blankly into the early morning sky, grabbing hold of the sun and moon and let their motions follow through.

As the sun rose to its morning position, she turned to Raven. "All should be fine by this afternoon. I've just been a bit distracted by something I was asking of Princess Twilight and her friends; as well as seeing Sunset Shimmer again." When Raven looked unsure, Celestia smiled in reassurance. "I will be holding day court at two o'clock sharp, and I'll be sure to get to the unsettled documents."

Raven glanced once more at Celestia and sighed. "Alright, Princess. I'll see you at day court." Celestia waved gently as Raven exited, a deep exhale leaving her as the door shut. She turned to don her regalia for the first time in days.

' _Am I rushing Twilight and her friends?_ ' Celestia thought, ' _Terra is a big place and very hard to understand if not properly prepared. Even if Twilight were to do well due to her experience on Earth, the other five will be out of sorts._ ' Her thoughts turned to the issues of her request as she began her journey to the archives. ' _Spike surely can't go as he would likely not be able to talk. Plus, Twilight would look insane talking to him. Then again, that_ is _how it ended up on Earth, I'm sure…_ '

Celestia entered Starswirl's chambers not too long after descending the stairs. Much to her surprise, the only pony she found was Luna.

"Luna," Celestia spoke, startling the moon deity, "Where are the others?"

"I had them retreat to the guest chambers. _Nopony_ should go without their sleep, especially on an issue this big," Luna said, making sure to berate Celestia for her previous choices. "We studied until nearly two in the morn, when Miss Rarity passed out."

Celestia giggled, "I suppose that is only fair. What about yourself? Surly night court was too important to skip out for this."

"I thought about it," Luna hummed, "but I decided that this was entirely new and possibly dangerous territory that Princess Twilight and her friends would be entering. I couldn't just let them go through with what little knowledge they had."

Princess Celestia nodded, "Then thank you, Luna. I'm sure they'll all greatly appreciate the gesture."

Luna smiled, "Of course, dear sister. Now come sit with us. I dare not read another word without company. Besides, this way, we can brief the entourage together."

The solar goddess chuckled and sat next to her sister, "As you wish, Luna."

* * *

 _Something seems incredibly…off about Terra. I would say that time seems to pass slower to the bipedal body, but when I pay close attention there, it isn't so. Yet, whenever I return there from a break in Equestria, only a fraction of the time I had spent on Equus shows on Terra. This phenomenon in particular was the experiment of choice for one of my shorter visits. From my observations, I think I've come to a possible solution._

 _I've stated in the past that Terra has almost no reception to magic on account of electronegativity being their equivalent to such a force. I don't believe this has anything to do with their connection, but perhaps their coalition. In theory, Terra moves slower than Equus, both in rotation and in orbit, however, thankfully, how much slower - as far as I've calculated - is on an almost perfect scale to Equus, rounding together at something like the eighty-second decimal place. This data is so small that it means that should the two worlds have always had the same time-flow, they would still be in sync; even after the nearly 15 billion years since the universes were created. Hmm, considering that the year here is 1034 and their year is 1928 though, that would mean they also had a massive head start. By that math, I'd say that Terra's universe came into existence 180 billion years ago by our time. That also means that the two worlds will have passed their time of sync during the 2000's. My calculations say that the worlds will sync up in the 2070's, but I have to account for the time that I, or any other creature, enter the world, so I left it at that approximate value._

 _Pardon, I digress. The theory I've made is that when the magic of an Equestrian creature is present on Terra, the planet's electronegativity mixes with the magic which causes a fluctuation in the dark matter surrounding the planet. This dark matter is connected to the sub-dimensional plain, and searches for the creature's/s' home dimension to match their universal time-flow. In terms of how vast the implications of this theory are, we got incredibly lucky that the numbers came out so cleanly._

 _Speaking of these numbers, it comes out to approximately 8.3*10^_ _-85_ _, which in laypony's terms is almost exactly 12 times slower than Equus' universal time-flow in a natural situation. Given that both Equus and Terra's primary species follow a clock divisible by 12, we got incredibly lucky._

 _My test to obtain this data was rather simple. After a routine visit of two months (see App. C), I came home for five days exactly. By note, I came back to Equus at nine o'clock sharp on Tuesday, August 24_ _th_ _, 1928 according to the human - notedly, American - calendar. Whence my five day retreat had passed, I returned to Terra. Upon gaining my bearings, I rushed to the nearest news stand to find that the date had not changed and not but ten hours had passed, it now being seven in the evening._

* * *

"That's intriguing," Luna said as she paused her reading.

"Hold on, Luna," Celestia paused her. The lunar goddess cut off her reading and waited for Celestia to continue. "Appendix C," she repeated, "says something about the 'routine visit' of two months. Starswirl was never one for tradition, especially of foreign origin, so this must be something important."

Luna nodded, agreeing mentally. She took note of where the table of contents were and flipped to the corresponding page for 'Appendix C.'

 _Oh boy, would Celestia be mad at me if she knew about this mirror's greatest limitation. It's a basic one, and I'd best keep it short so she doesn't come in and start reading over my shoulder._

 _The mirror, as I have stated previously, leads to the world I have deemed 'Terra.' Terra is a very weak planet when it comes to magic - having no magic at all, really. As such, the mirror portal being activated requires a lot of its innate magic. It can use some of Terra's electronegativity - which might be something for me to look into later - to recharge its magic, but it's a very slow process. The mirror is designed to be charged with magic on both sides, but having one end using electronegativity drastically botches that system. As such, as I found out after a very frightening first trip, it takes the mirror about two months to fully recharge off of the electromagnetic energy. Thankfully, however, because of this there are some special guidelines that are innate to Terra._

 _For starters, Terran creatures cannot, under any current circumstances, travel to Equus. I have not begun to think of a way to do such a thing - though I honestly have no interest in such a thing - so I shall leave it for some scholar far beyond my time whence Celestia has provided my works to the public._

 _Secondly, there is no specific return 'mirror' for going back to Equus. I have absolutely no understanding of this instance, but it does make returning home incredibly easy considering that Terra is a big place. I could easily return through a full-body mirror as easy as I could stick my hand through a small handheld mirror. It's like the statue outside of Canterlot University on Earth, but on a much wider scale._

 _Thirdly, as a counterpart to the second, there is no specific exit 'mirror.' I can say that there is a recurring theme on my exits, but I cannot find any pattern outside of it. Every single time I have exited the mirror, I have been within the country borders of 'The United States of America,' which sounds like a lovely name really. However, I've never returned to the same province twice, not in my limited number of trips. There are fifty of those states within the nation, but it seems to be random which one I end up in._

* * *

Celestia raised a hoof to her muzzle in an attempt to gather her thoughts. Luna looked to her sister in worry. "Sister, I know this must be upsetting - to know that Starswirl hid something from you-"

The solar goddess dismissed the idea, "It's no worry, Luna. It is honestly only fair that he did as I would have been upset about it. As well, I did hide a secret about the mirrors from him as well."

"Ah yes, Sombra's world," Luna mused, "Regardless, his studies did prove useful, did they not?"

"If for nothing less than scientific research, then yes, they were quite useful." Celestia looked to the mirror, a shimmer crossing over its surface. "But it has been nearly a thousand years since Starswirl died in that world. If his research is correct, then that means about eighty years have passed on Terra."

"And if he is wrong?" Luna asked as she stood, "What if an Equestrian creature lingering there, alive or not, causes the time-flow to equalize?"

Celestia thought for a moment, sweat forming on her brow. "Then they would be well into the 30th century by now." She shuddered, "One could only imagine how advanced they have become in that circumstance." She quickly dismissed the thought however, "I'm sure that it's fine though. Starswirl was likely to have test such a thing."

Celestia stood and Luna shared a glance with her. "Nevertheless," Luna began, "it would be best for us to get some breakfast. Today is a big day, even if it isn't for us."


	3. D01 - First Contact

The dining hall rang quiet as the two royal sisters sat enjoying their breakfast. It had been a first for some moons that the two simply got to enjoy each other's company to the delight of something so mundane and normal.

Of course, it was obvious that something closer to dread hung in the air. Celestia was slow in all her movements, seemingly overtaken by some thought that was bigger than anything she had done in a long time - enough to phase even her. Luna mostly ignored it, completely aware of that fact before their food had even been brought to them. Instead she confided in attempting to draw her sister away from such thoughts.

"So what are your plans with Sunset Shimmer, Tia?" she asked, her mouth nigh brimming with chewed up pancakes.

"Hm?" was Celestia's response, as she lifted her gaze from her plate. She cast her glance to Luna, which rewarded her with a giggle at what she saw.

"What has you so tickled, dear sister?" Luna asked as she downed her food. Celestia smiled and pointed a hoof to her own cheek. The lunar goddess' mouth formed an 'o' as she magically grabbed her handkerchief and wiped the side of her mouth, revealing a large clump of syrup had clung to her face.

Sighing away her troubled thoughts, Celestia returned to her sister's question. "I'm not sure I really know what I will do with Sunset here," she told honestly, "I will surely have some private time with her to catch up and to reward her efforts and achievements in her world, but…" she trailed off.

"But you are unsure if things will be too awkward for it to be a comfortable experience for the two of you," Luna constructed. Celestia nodded, allowing Luna a smile to form. "No worries, Sister, such is typical for the first time."

Celestia's eyebrow cocked as Luna just smiled at her. Suddenly, the meaning of the comment hit her, and a furious blush overtook her. "Luna! You know I would never do such a thing!"

Luna snickered as she dodged a balled napkin, "I tease, sister. We know your relations with your students, though far closer than normal, are purely platonic."

Celestia huffed as she returned to her breakfast. A smile formed on her lips as she and Luna shared another glance. Before long, the room was filled with the two's chipper laughs. The two calmed down, and continued to eat their breakfast in relative silence, with light chatter going between the two every once in awhile. After some time, the grand doors to the dining hall opened up, revealing Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Sunset.

"Good morning, friends!" Luna called, rising from her seat with a large grin, "How are you all on the morning of your great feat?"

"Pampered," AJ responded, obviously uncomfortable from the attention the staff give her and her friends, "You'd think after so many trips up here, I'd've gotten used t' it, but ah guess ah haven't."

"You never really do," Sunset chuckled.

"I, for one, love it!" Pinkie called as she took a seat next to Luna, "And it's totally not just because of the food."

Luna patted Pinkie's back, rather hard, but not enough to phase the mare. "The pink one understands; just try not to let it get to you."

"And if that's not enough," Celestia added, "Just let them know so. They'll respectfully give you room to be yourself - to a reasonable fault."

"Ah guess so," AJ said, sitting next to Pinkie. "Rarity and Fluttershy should be along soon. They wanted t' enjoy the showers before coming down."

"What about Twilight and Rainbow Dash?" Celestia asked.

"Twilight is still sleeping. She was up for a fair portion of the night studying Starswirl's notes. I wouldn't expect to see her before lunch." Sunset said, then passed a smile to AJ, "As for Rainbow Dash, she's probably still sawing logs for the sake of it."

"Ya' can say that again," AJ chuckled. "Anyway, what's for brunch?"

"Whatever your mortal hearts desire," Luna gleefully announced. Celestia cast her a glance with her eyebrow raised, moving Luna to correct herself. "Ahem, we mean...pancakes, eggs, and/or hay-bacon. Whichever you prefer."

The group shared a laugh as the chefs brought out more of every dish. "Anyway, I must ask you - Pinkie, Applejack - how _are_ you feeling about this big event?" Celestia asked, returning her platter to the chefs, "I know it is incredibly last minute, and I'm giving you practically no time to prepare."

"I'm not too worried about it," Pinkie shrugged, "Ever since Nightmare Moon, Mr. and Mrs. Cake have made sure to be prepared for when I suddenly disappear. They know that a big royal event could happen at any moment that will have my attention called to it." She dropped her face to her plate as a pancake stack was placed onto it, devouring the whole thing in one bite. Another stack quickly took its place. "They'll probably just call up their cousin, Velvet Cake." If one looked closely, there was a stint of pain glazed beyond her eyes.

Eyes turned to Applejack, who seemed rather drowned in thought. "Ah'm not rightly sure what t' think. Ah' can't say that Big Mac and Granny Smith haven't taken the same precautions, but two months is an awful long time compared to our previous bouts and adventures."

"I'm sure it will be fine, Applejack," came a voice from the doorway. All turned to see a freshly bathed Rarity and Fluttershy entering the dining hall. "Even if Big Mac and Granny Smith can't alone take care of the farm, they have Applebloom now, who's more than enough grown up to take on the majority of your work. What she can't, you and I both know that Big Mac can."

Applejack cast a glance to the mare, before smiling and releasing a sigh. "Thanks Rarity, ah' guess I just know that ah'm bound to get mighty homesick while we're gone."

"We all will," Rarity returned with a smile.

Silence was drawn over the group as they returned to their food. An occasional giggle or chuckle was released at some of Pinkie's antics as she tried to lift such a fog.

Before long, Princess Celestia rose from her seat and began to pace the dining hall. Though most of them simply assumed her nervous of times to come, Luna picked up on subtle hints that only those closest to her could have gotten. Her ears shifted at Sunset's laughs and words, and her vision would rhythmically pass over the orange mare.

Luna looked to Sunset herself. She seemed mostly oblivious to Celestia's motions. Shifting her eyes between the two quickly, Luna decided to act. "So, Sunset," she started, lifting the silence from the table, "Please, if you don't mind, do share with us your tales of….Canterlot High was it?" Celestia's ears speared up and rounded around as she stopped her pace rotation. Luna let a grin cross her visage.

"Uh, yeah, that's it," she said, her eyes widening and a faint blush covering her muzzle as she suddenly became nervous.

"Go ahead Sunny! Twilight has told us a little bit about this before, but we want to hear more from you!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Especially the other ussessus!"

"Mhm!" Rarity chimed in, "I must admit, from Twilight's pictures and descriptions, I'm not too fond of the 'human' aspect of our counterparts - but how similar they must be despite it does intrigue me."

"You want to know about how the human you does tailoring, don't you?" Sunset said with a smug grin.

Rarity sputtered and lifted a hoof to her chest in faux offense. "Why, of course not!" The two shared a giggle, "Surely, darling, but don't be afraid to let me know anything else that is interesting about her."

Celestia returned to her seat next to Sunset as everyone set aside their plates for the staff to come retrieve. Sunset began retelling everything from shortly after her escape; getting picked up by a passing high school principal - Celestia's counterpart - who then took her in when she learned that she was homeless. She enrolled her in her own school, where Sunset quickly used ego and intelligence to climb the social ladder.

Some years passed and the portal reactivated. She went through and did some reconnaissance of current events. She learned of Nightmare Moon's return and defeat, Discord's return and defeat, and most importantly, the ones behind it all - Twilight Sparkle and her friends, Twilight being the protege of the Princess. Some quick research told her that Twilight had been studying under Celestia for as long as Sunset had, but was more pure. Sunset predicted Twilight's ascension and planned to strike during her next return.

She gave her corrupted view on the Fall Formal, followed by her slow reformation with her newfound friends and the rest of the students leading up to the battle with the Sirens - where she was shown to have completely turned over a new leaf.

After the story, Pinkie brought back her desire to hear about their counterparts. Sunset simply laughed and threw the group a bone.

"Well, it seems like every single person in Equestria has a counterpart there - I'm actually really surprised I haven't run into myself or Twilight there," she explained, " _Principal_ Celestia is nowhere near as wise as _Princess_ Celestia, but is a fair bit smarter, simply due to the technological advancements present there. Vice Principal Luna is about the same way, but replacing sheer intelligence with her jokester tendencies." Luna's head tilted in confusion. "Apparently Luna had problems connecting with the students until she and Celestia started an annual event where they purposely try their hardest to embarrass themselves in front of the school."

"Oh!" the royal sisters exclaimed. "We have been doing something quite similar for a long time," Luna stated.

"I started the tradition shortly after Luna's banishment so that when she returned, the citizens could better connect with her," Celestia confirmed.

"It has worked wonders for myself - surely this means that my human counterpart has had similar success?"

"Yep!" Sunset nodded with a smile, "At first, she was unsure; nervous, but she warmed up to it. Everyone enjoys her now, simply because she's so funny throughout the year." Sunset glanced to her friends. "As for you guys, Rarity spends most of her time at her parents' home or in the school's clubrooms. She likes to make outfits and uniforms for the various groups and clubs in the school, something that has the ability to make her some good money, but she hasn't decided to capitalize just yet. She says that since she's in high school and has a full scholarship to a business school in Manehattan, she just wants to be as generous as possible to the people she's grown so close to."

"That sure does sound like Rarity," Applejack chuckled. Rarity, however, was slightly confused.

"You say that she, well rather, _we_ are still in school. Why is that?"

Sunset winced, "I'm not _completely_ sure. Humans do have a similar lifespan to us, however, something goes wonky when we swap worlds."

"How so?" Celestia asked, "Also, how does my counterpart compare in age if she is but another human?"

"Well, as for us normal ponies, it just seems like it subtracts about five years from our age. For example, I and Twilight are both twenty-two, but there, we're seventeen. Most people on Earth will attend basic schooling until they're eighteen."

"And trust me, Princess, your counterpart confused me at first too," Sunset told Celestia, "The Principal is only about forty years old." Celestia's eyes widened.

"There must be something amiss there; I'm well over two millenia old."

"I'm not too sure on the facts, but she's said that it's family tradition to have at least one girl in the family every generation. The luck just points to every generation looking the same for the most part. If it's any indication, it probably means that her family has been doing this for since long before the medieval era that Equestria's technology could be compared to."

Silence sat over the room for a moment as the two sisters mulled over this fact. Pinkie nudged Sunset, pushing for her to continue another subject.

She obliged, "On a more comical note, that has nothing to do with age, me and the girls have been picking on Rainbow Dash recently. She seems to have a crush on someone."

"What!?" Rarity exclaimed, "Explain! I must know!"

Sunset laughed, "My Rarity reacted the same way. Her name is Aurora; she's one of Dash's teammates on the soccer team."

"Oh my," Fluttershy muttered, "I didn't take Rainbow to play for that team." Pinkie let out a snort and a chuckle at the pun.

"I always assumed it," Sunset said, "Even before I really _knew_ her, I suspected it of her. Anyway, right now her and Aurora just have a lot of unaddressed tension. I kind of want to start push-"

Before she can finish, the doors to the dining hall open. Everyone turned to see an extremely disheveled Twilight carrying a sleeping Rainbow Dash with her magic. "We're sorry we're late!"

She quickly rushed to the seat next to Sunset, plopping down and donning a humongous smile that said, 'Please don't hate me.' As the silence continued, Rainbow Dash let loose a large snore. Everyone took a glance to the still floating mare, then back to Twilight, who again sheepishly smiled, releasing her.

Of course, as tired and nervous as she is, she forgot to put her friend down first. Rainbow Dash fell straight down onto the floor next to Applejack, an audible "Ow!" being heard from her. The now awake mare shot up and looked around with a hoof to her head. "Where am I?"

"You overslept, so Twi was nice enough to escort you to the rest of us so we can get on our way," Applejack told her with a smug grin.

Rainbow looked at Twilight who avoided eye contact while a blush crossed her face. "Uh, well, thanks I guess. Could we get some food before we go though?"

"Of course, our rainbow haired friend," Luna said. A bell was rung and two final platters of pancakes were brought out to the mares. The two were quick in finishing the food, and before the staff had even come to retrieve the plates, the group was off.

Along the way, Rarity took the time to fix Twilight's mane. The group was mostly silent as they walked, seemingly muted by the sheer anxiousness of what was about to happen. Twilight, after Rarity had finished her mane, was short of hyperventilating. Celestia and Luna, picking up on this, each placed a wing on her back. Twilight glanced between them and let out a sigh. Sunset looked at the trio with remorse. She knew that she could have been in that position if she hadn't let greed get to her.

Descending into Starswirl's chambers, a deep echo seemed to reverberate off the walls of the cave. Even for the most patient of the group, the spiral staircase was seemingly endless; dragging them down into an eternal abyss that they would never escape from.

Eventually, though, they did reach the bottom of the flight. The group stopped to allow Celestia to open up the secret room, noticeably tensing as she did. As the wall seemingly faded from existence, the six mares that would soon depart took a deep breath. The group entered as one, not wanting to separate if possible.

The mirror stood dauntingly, seeming to haunt the girls as they approached. Celestia and Luna stepped to either side of the mirror and faced the group while Sunset wandered off in a random direction. The expressions of the girls ranged from overconfident to petrified.

"I'm told you all studied a fair amount," Celestia said. "Do you feel ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Fluttershy stammered, "I just hope we don't end up too far apart."

"Maybe we'll get lucky since we're going en masse," Rarity said, silently hoping the same.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy!" Pinkie said, practically jumping onto the mare, "I'll stick by your side, no matter what dimensional law gets in my way."

"I don't doubt it Pinkie," Fluttershy said, "Thanks for the comfort."

"We wish you all well," Luna said. "Please, come back in one piece - no matter how long it takes."

"But do be careful," Celestia said, "I know from my own experiences how dangerous these other worlds can be."

Silence hung in the air a moment before the group started going into the portal one by one. Applejack and Rarity entered after a moment of hesitation, followed by Pinkie guiding Fluttershy through. Rainbow gave the princesses a sure smile and bolted through. Twilight took a moment, glancing across the room towards Sunset - giving the distracted mare a pleading look. When Sunset didn't turn around from the shelf she was facing, Twilight sighed and entered the portal; its shimmering sound being the last thing that the two princesses would hear from the six mares for two months.

* * *

The first thing Rainbow Dash could focus on was motion. Lots and lots of motion, happening very fast, and very sporadically. There was an extreme amount of colors and everything was spinning. Even for her, this was beginning to become a bit too much.

That is until it all ended very quickly, and the only thing she could process was the wooden floorboard she was on and the fact that her face hurt. Alot.

She quickly sat up, groaning in pain as she rose a hand to tend to the pain. She rubbed the back of her head as she looked around. She looked to be in a small wooden structure; there was a trap door in the corner of the room, and a window in the wall opposite her, and behind her was a tall, full body mirror.

' _Maybe I should look out that window and try to-_ ' she stopped her thought as her eyes went back to the mirror.

Staring back at her was something she could not properly imagine. Lowering her hand from her head, she extended it in front of her, inspecting it carefully, flexing each individual finger and muscle. Looking back to the mirror, she raised her hand to her face. She carefully touched each feature, silently in awe and shock of what was before her. She ran a hand through her rainbow hair, which for once in her life, was perfectly straight with no frays or knots.

She straightened her back, turning to get a better look at her human figure; She was skinny, but not completely frail. She had clothing on, which confused her slightly, but after starting to lift the bottom of her light blue top, the cool air that attacked her stomach helped her understand why. She lifted her shirt up, not letting the air get to her. The first thing she noticed was her slightly toned belly, her muscles peeking out underneath her tanned skin.

Following herself upward, her eyes laid to rest on her chest for a moment, questioning the rainbow-patterned straps that covered her teats. She turned, taking a look at her back and giving herself a moment to admire how lean her shoulder muscles were.

That's when she noticed that her back was noticeably lacking in two certain appendages. She blanked for a moment before her eyes widened and she mentally panicked. She started glancing around the room, as if searching for her missing wings. That's when it hit her. Amongst the few things that she heard during the group's study session last night, humans' lack of magic in any form known to Equus was one of them. ' _I must not have thought about pegasi at the time_ ,' she thought.

Sighing over the loss of her wings, she returned the shirt to her person and pulled herself off the ground, making an attempt to stand in the manner that Twilight had shown them. She found it far easier to pull off than she had anticipated, further proving just how awesome and athletic she was-

-until she took a step, that is. Not accounting for her weight to shift as she moved a leg forward, she fell straight forward, her face meeting the maple floor faster than she could react. She groaned as she lay there, contemplating just how awesome that must have looked. Grunting, she pushed herself onto her knees and back up to her feet. She spent the next several minutes attempting to correctly walk before getting it down much faster than her first attempt would have one believe.

Once she could confidently walk a few laps around the room, she rounded over to the window in the wall of the structure. Looking out, she saw a large number of roofs and trees. The roofs were a lot like the tiling that many Canterlot businesses used, which led her to believe that she was in a commercial area. Smiling that she'd be able to blend in a little easier, she returned to the trap door. She reached down to the latch, flexing her seconds for a second before wrapping them around it and pulling up. The door lifted with relative ease, allowing Rainbow to feel better about understanding her new body so well and quickly.

She peeked down the escape. It didn't take her long to recognize the sleek, sturdy figure of a maple tree. ' _A treehouse, eh?_ ' she thought, ' _I might want to remember this place in case I need a place to stay_.'

With a plan in mind, she turned around and let her legs drop from the floor of the treehouse. Her foot rested on the ladder for a moment before she processed how to bend her legs to continue down. Confident with how fast she was learning her new body, she quickly began her descent.

That is, until a shudder came from the rung beneath her. She had no time to react before she plummeted six feet to the ground. She landed squarely on her back, the air being forced from her lungs all at once. She lay there for a moment, focusing on regaining her breath. ' _Smooth, Rainbow_ Crash.' she belittled herself. A leaf fluttered down and landed on her forehead, and she gave a quick blow to rid it from her presence. Grunting, she pushed herself up and got back to her feet.

Only then, did a burning pain make itself known in her left knee. She collapsed again, keeping herself propped up on her other leg. She grasped the source for a moment, then brought back her hands to look at the damage. A large gash had appeared on her leg, blood welling up around it. She looked to where she had fallen and noticed a piece of fabric from her pants fluttering against the breeze where it was snagged on a large outcrop of the tree's bark.

"Great," she muttered, "I've been here for less than thirty minutes and I already need a doctor." She rolled her eyes. ' _Yeah, right. Come on, Dash, you've come back from worse. You can't afford a hospital visit here...literally perhaps._ '

She clenched her teeth, forcing herself upright and putting most of her weight onto her good leg.

' _I won't be able to get back into that treehouse like this,_ ' she realized, ' _Buck, I've already got to look for some poor person to take me in_.'

Rainbow glanced around. She was in a fenced off area. There were only two ways out of where she was: over the fence or through the house in front of her. She weighed the options for a moment. ' _Maybe I could just hide behind the tree for a few hours while my leg gets better._ '

Before she could turn around though, she heard the large glass door of the property slide open. She turned, wide eyed, catching the eye of a black and green haired girl. The girl stood there for a second, scanning her. ' _I'm screwed._ '

"Oh my god!" the girl flinched, likely noticing the gash on Rainbow's leg, "Are you okay!?"


	4. A01 - Familiar Territory

Darkness. The only thing visible was emptiness. Applejack took a sharp breath, her hooves flailing as she tried to grip something; anything. She peered around the void, desperate for something to appear before her. ' _Did the mirror screw up_?' she thought. She called out, hoping it would attract attention, but her voice failed to even elicit a rasp.

Then, she became aware of a sound. Her ears twitched as the low, consistent rumble slowly getting louder, seemingly coming towards her. AJ swung around in every direction. ' _Where's it coming from_!?' As it grew closer, she began to sweat. Drawing in her back legs, she prepared to have to give something a whoopin'.

Suddenly, the newcomer made itself known. In front of Applejack, two piercing lights blinded her. She adjusted herself and stared it down as it barreled towards her. She opened her mouth in a silent yell as the odd beast roared over her.

In desperation she lashed out. Though her muscles did not do what she had thought, she found herself sitting up in some grass. Her breathing was heavy and she was sweating profusely. A light breeze breathed across her skin, sending shivers up her spine as she wrapped her arms around herself. She looked down, human clothing soothing her mind as she realized that she was where she was supposed to be.

"Now where _is_ where ah'm supposed to be?" she asked herself. She propped herself up, attempting to gather her bearings on two legs. Thankfully, her legs kept their amazing strength and the balance came to her almost naturally. She noticed a mirror laying on the ground behind her. She stood over it cautiously, careful not to fall on it or break it. ' _Ah' don't look too different, actually_ ,' she thought. Her hair was just as bleached yellow as always and her eyes still shone green in the reflected moonlight. She could barely make out the freckles dotted across the bridge of her nose. A plaid button-up adorned her abdomen, its sleeves rolled up which likely explained the goosebumps covering her forearms. Bell-bottomed denim covered her legs loosely while shin-high boots were on her feet.

Another breeze fluttered through the air, chilling Applejack even more. She pulled down the sleeves on her shirt and held her arms tightly to herself. She looked around, spotting nothing besides expansive farmland seemingly getting ready for the growing season. "A little chilly for growing already ain't it?" Looking just past where the mirror portal had spat her out, she noticed a dirt path going both ways from where she was. She approached it, looking both ways. One way was completely dark while the other way granted at least a little solace in the form of a single porchlight a few hundred feet down the path.

Applejack sighed as she step foot on the gravel path to cross it. She paused for a second upon doing so. Listening closely, she could make out a faint rumble coming from her left. She looked down the path, noticing lights slowly growing closer and the rumbling getting louder. Fear coursed through her as she remembered her experience before waking up beside the mirror. She quickly flipped around and returned to the mirror. Picking it up, she stood it up before quickly ducking behind it, letting it rest on her back as it faced the road.

The rumbling grew in volume, growing ever closer until there was a whoosh of air and the grass gave way to the wind. The growling of the unknown beast then faded, progressing on its way. Peeking out from behind the mirror, she noticed dim red lights on its back end as it fled into the distance. She breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, letting the mirror fall back into the grass. Applejack bit back a nervous groan as she step foot on the path again. She looked both ways, not hearing anything coming, before bolting across the path. When she reached the grass on the other side, she started towards the house she noticed down the way.

' _Part of me feels like ah'm not cut out for all this_ ,' she thought, ' _But ah'm already here, so ah' guess there's no backin' out now._ '

The moor was completely silent to her pleasure. She looked along the horizons, noticing the sun beginning to peek out to one way. ' _So there's east. That means ah'm goin' south_ ,' she figured. She looked to the west; its dark visage giving away nothing of the night prior as clouds above promised rain to whatever region they went towards. ' _Hopefully not this way_.' A chill crossed her again and she picked up her pace to reach the farmhouse.

The porchlight was a dim orange against the pale yellow of the home and the brown of the porch. AJ inspected the property as she neared. The gravel path she had been following had at some point turned to cement or something akin to it, which was quite odd to her. A gravel path led from the cement and surrounded the house, trailing beyond the back of the house to several silos and a couple barns. She noticed an orchard of various fruits off behind the silos.

' _Thank Celestia, farmers_.' Applejack approached the house at a casual pace. She knew it would be odd to arrive to someone's front door at five or six in the morning, but she wanted to spend as little time as possible outside in this cold.

Climbing the steps of the front porch, she took a deep breath, nodding to the cat sitting on a rocking chair next to the front door. It meowed at her with wide eyes before clambering down and skittering through its own door at the bottom of the entrance. AJ gulped, ' _I hope that's not a bad omen or any of that mumbo jumbo_.' She rose a fist to the door, hoping these folk were much like her own when it came to getting up early.

Before she could knock however, the door was opened by an elderly man. He paused in his stride when he noticed Applejack, who took a step back. Applejack stared at him, trying to take everything in that she was in fact in a world of humans. Not only that, but she was one of the first here in over nine hundred years. Or was it eighty-something? She didn't pay the fullest of attention to the math portion of Twilight's lecture.

Applejack cleared her throat and removed her hat, covering her chest with it as she spoke. "U-uh, Good mornin', sir," she started.

The man's eyes widened substantially as he stumbled into the doorway for a moment. His gaze ran up and down her figure several times as he studied her. Finally, after several moments, AJ saw his mustache quiver and a whisper escaped his lips, but she couldn't quite make it out.

"Come again?" she asked. He reached a shaky hand out to her cheek, the dry but smooth skin touching her only for a moment before he turned back into his house and elicited a yell.

"Marianne! Grab Annabelle and come here, quick!" His voice was full of joy and confusion. AJ took a glance past into his home, though he quickly turned and wrapped an arm around her. "Please, sweetheart, come in, come in."

AJ did not fight his offer, though she was greatly confused between whether to consider this as hospitality or some human custom that Sunset or Twilight didn't mention. He guided her to a dining room where he pulled out a chair for her. She obliged and sat down. "Would you like some breakfast, dear? My wife was planning on blueberry pancakes this morning."

She thought back to the grand breakfast earlier that morning on Equus. Despite having probably eaten a day's worth of food in that one meal, Applejack felt surprisingly empty. ' _Maybe the portal didn't bother keeping my food_.' "Sure, ah' could go for that," AJ said, "But I would like to maybe talk about what's going on while we wait?"

The elderly man slowed to a stop and gave her a glance. His gaze had softened as he looked closer at her than he had before. He opened his mouth to speak, but footsteps and a croaking voice interrupted him.

"What's got you freaking out so early, Alfie?" Applejack and the man, Alfie she guessed, turned to the voice. A short, skinny woman of greater age looked between the two at the table. Behind her, a young girl yawned and blinked rapidly as she tried to gather her bearings. ' _Must have just woken up_.'

"Alfie, who is this?" the lady asked. Alfie was still staring at Applejack, his face visibly drooping the longer he did. AJ glanced to the woman, her face mixed between understanding and sorrow. The little girl peeked out and caught eyes with Applejack.

A spark lit in the girl's eyes, quickly flooded over by emotion. AJ caught every moment of the change, sensing a deep sense of pain and unnecessary maturity in the child. Of course, the question that ran through her mind was 'why is that?'

"M-mom?" the girl spoke. Alfie's breath caught in his throat, and the old woman had stiffened. Applejack tensed, looking to the woman. ' _She's too old to have a child that young. Who's this girl talking to_?' she thought. The woman cast a glance to AJ before leaning down to the child and whispering into her ear. AJ watched the girl's eyes water even more as tears began to form. Small murmurs escaped her lips as she sobbed.

Finally, the girl's temper burst. "No!" she shouted, breaking away from the woman. "You can't tell me that's not her! There's no way it's not!" The girl quickly rushed over to Applejack, wrapping her arms tightly around her stomach. She happily sobbed as Applejack, recovering from the outburst, cautiously pat the girl's back. "I knew you'd never leave us. Not like him…"

Venom was carried on those last words. Applejack looked between the elderly pair on either side of her, their faces warped with pain. She looked down to the girl and squeezed her shoulders lightly.

' _Ah' don't know what's happened to these folks...but ah'm sure gonna find out._ '


End file.
